Deuteronomy 5:29

"Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!"

This is the LORD's hope and prayer for us. His one desire here is to see it go well with us and our children forever.  He has given us his divine precepts, the Ten Commandments, in order that we might live healthy and blessed lives.  His intention is not to harm us or to condemn us, but so that we might prolong our days and live.  The Law was meant for our good, but because of sin in us, it has brought about our destruction (cf. Rom 7).

We break the rules and cast aside the law which was put in place for our own protection and benefit.  We believed the lie that it is a restriction on our freedom when it was the very thing that allowed us to enjoy it without fear.  We have thrown ourselves into bondage as slaves to unrighteousness and have brought about our own destruction.  Who will save us?

But God's prayer is not frustrated.  He is the Almighty, able to do anything he sets his will to.  By his strength he has rescued us from sin and caused us to live.  By his grace through faith in His Son Jesus it will go well for us who fear the LORD.  Where the law made us willing, the Spirit now makes us able.  No longer do we live according to our own sinful desire, but we live by God and God alone.

Job 32:2-3

"But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God. He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him."

As guilty as a person may be, if there is insufficient evidence to convict of sin, there can be no condemnation.  A person is "innocent" until proven "guilty" and because Job had not yet been refuted by his friends, he started to actually believe himself to be innocent.  He justified himself rather than God whom he accused of wronging him, something Elihu recognized rightly to be utter nonsense.

Elihu became God's defense attorney and also Job's prosecutor, showing him his fault and defending God's name.  But it wasn't enough.  God himself stepped out of Heaven to Job's front door and began his cross examination of Job, once and for all convicting him of sin.   But Job was not sentenced.  He was not punished.  Rather he humbled himself and all things were restored to him and more!

So how much more, then, has a God who has proven the world's sin and guilt, exonerate those who humble themselves and repent?  How much more will he restore to them not only their lives, but eternal life?  Through the Law our transgressions multiplied so that we should be proven utterly sinful, but through our Judge Jesus Christ we bear no burden if we humble ourselves and obey.

Hebrews 10:1

"The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship."

Christ died once and for all sin for truly if you believe in Christ your sins are forgiven and if they are forgiven, there is no longer any need for sacrifice.  Neither was sacrifice ever meant to take away sins.  It only served as a reminder of sin.  Neither was sacrifice something God desired, rather he desires us to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.  To confuse the Law with Salvation is the same as confusing a map of the world with the world itself.  It is simply a pointer towards God and the grace that he offers.  The law is only a shadow of the good things to come.

But notice, Christ died for the forgiveness of sins, not to prevent anyone from sinning.  Forgiveness (and I mean true forgiveness) and reconciliation are only possible when the offending party admits their wrongdoing and asks for forgiveness.  That is the purpose of the law, so that we might know our sins and confess them.  But in Christ, no sooner does the confession leave our lips and the Spirit of repentance floods into our hearts does Christ forgive us of our sins.  This is grace which redeems and overflows.  We need only to turn back to him.

Galatians 5:13

"You, my brothers, were called to be free.  But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another in love."


Those who have been set free by grace should not return to the old ways of doing things (that is, the Law).  Giving to the poor does not make you good.  Reading your bible does not sanctify.  Fasting does not make you holy.  Only God in heaven is capable of doing that.  How foolish it is to try and earn by human effort what can only come through the Spirit!  After receiving grace, will you now try to earn it?  We were not saved due to our good works, but from believing the gospel which we had heard.

Those who are under grace are free to sin without eternal consequence. However, Paul states that in our freedom we choose no longer to sin but rather serve in love.  When we sin, it is not because we wanted to sin, but Sin living in us (our fallen nature).  It is no longer we who sin, but Sin living in us, but now it no longer causes our condemnation!  Hallelujah!

Christianity is not based on Law, but on Grace.  There is now forgiveness for sin in Christ Jesus.  So don't you dare feel guilty you hadn't prayed more or fasted longer.  Those things only serve to worship the One who makes us holy, not to make us holy.  You were called to be free from such nonsensical thinking.

Leviticus 22:31-33

"Keep my commandments and follow them.  I am the LORD.  Do not profane my holy name.  I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites.  I am the LORD, who makes you holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God.  I am the LORD."

Everything hangs on the first 6 words, "Keep my commandments and follow them", a double exhortation of the same thing.  The Hebrew language loves repetition for emphasis because the Scripture was meant to be read aloud by teachers and scribes.

For God to be holy, he needs to be recognized as wholly other, that is, something so completely different that it could not have possibly come from the world.  God is unlike anything else that has ever existed because he caused all things to exist.  This God needs to be seen as radically distinct from every other God to the Israelites as to say there is no comparison.

And it is this holy God who makes us holy through the law and commandment.  The law sets us apart from the world.  Through obedience we are sanctified and through faith we are justified.  Disobedience, behaving just like the nations around us, profanes the Holy Name of God.  It tells the world that our God is no different than any other God, that He isn't holy.  What use is a God like that?  Why not worship idols?  But who is like the Lord?  There is no one like our Lord, Jesus Christ!  Amen!

Romans 3:21

"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it"

According to Paul, we are living in a completely new age.  No longer is the law the only way to righteousness, nor was it ever intended to be a way back into God.  However, this is a righteousness which has existed since before all time.  It is like electricity.  It has always existed, but only recently have we been aware of it's power and existence.  Indeed, if it had not existed since the beginning, how could the law and the prophets bear witness to it?  Rather, this has been the plan of God all along, to send us His son Jesus, the lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world.

God, before even making the world, counted every single cost and plotted every single detail.  He knew what would be involved in making such a world as ours and he made it anyway.  He knew of our sin and our shame, about Eden and the inevitable fall, and the death of His Son crushed on the cross, and he accounted for all of it by giving us His righteousness and salvation so that we might not perish.  God always has a plan.  With a God who gives so much attention to detail, who could worry?

Romans 6:14

"For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."


How hard it is for us to teach grace rather than law in our churches.  You've probably heard at least one sermon in your life that made you feel awful about yourself for an entire Sunday afternoon.  Many of us say, "If only I prayed more or read my Bible more then I would be a good Christian." Guilt over our own failure only leads to death and condemnation.  When we strive to do what is good in order to be good we fall into the Law and sins reign in us.

However when we do good in order to receive the blessings it affords we are truly under grace.  For a Christian, no sin can ever separate us from the love of God in Christ for there is no condemnation in Christ.  Sin has lost it's power and death it's sting.  Only in grace can we choose to do or not do without fear of eternal consequence.  Only then can we grow and mature because we are free to make mistakes.  It is expected. There's a big difference between guilt and godly sorrow.  Guilt is an inward feeling of condemnation and is not an option but Godly sorrow is an outward expression of having hurt someone or God and brings transformation.  It is now our love for God that keeps us in line and God's kindness which leads us to repentance instead of fear.